Horace Mann Monument

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This monument to Horace Mann stands in an isolated meadow in Glen Helen Nature Preserve. It was erected by Hugh Taylor Birch in 1936.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Mann
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Coordinates:   39°47'8"N   83°52'12"W

Comments

  • Maybe things were different in the 1930s and 40s, but today this monument is set so far off the beaten path it's silly. In fact, it's so isolated that the few signs of human presence are creepier than they are reassuring: a crushed beer can on one of the ruined steps, a reedy trail that snakes over to the second monument, some broken glass.... I got spooked pretty quickly and left immediately after taking the photos.
  • As always, there are both advantages and drawbacks to monuments placed where fewer people are likely to see them. When I first came upon the Horace Mann and Birch Monuments, it was an unexpected surprise as I was hiking alone in the woods near my new home in Yellow Springs. The time was early evening on a warm and clear day in April, with new leaves shivering and redbud magenta in the setting sun. Birds were calling, meadow grass swooshed a bit in the evening breeze. The beauty of the day and the mystery contained in the presence of a bronze statue so far from habitation brought a mood of both contemplation and delight in secret places. I seemed to be standing in a Eugene Atget photograph, perhaps one of those taken at Sceaux of the overgrown park and statuary rising out of the foliage. I've returned to the Horace Mann monument several times since, and as the year turns the light and color and sound within which it stands all change accordingly. I've never seen anyone there but the path to the monument is mowed and a few cigarette butts lie in the cracks of the base. Crumble and renew, crumble and renew...
  • When I was a student at Antioch College in the early 1970's, the Horace Mann statue was a must-see stop during the typical group hike into the woods on a nice day. As an art student, I always wanted to fashion an over-sized metal yoyo to hang from the outstretched finger, but I never did.
This article was last modified 15 years ago